New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingmage’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea  Impatiens  plant named ‘Ingmage’ characterized by its large, rounded, red flowers, early flowering, dark green foliage, ball shaped growth habit with excellent basal branching and good outdoor vigor.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Impatienshawkeri.

Varietal denomination: ‘Ingmage’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiensplant botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri and referred to by thecultivar name ‘Ingmage’.

The new cultivar was developed in a controlled breeding programconducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new New GuineaImpatiens cultivar has an early flowering response, large flowers withattractive coloration and a good flowering behavior under fieldconditions.

The new cultivar is propagated from cuttings resulting from the cross inSeptember 1999 of the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selectionidentified as ‘F 47-1’ as female parent and the proprietary New GuineaImpatiens selection identified as ‘E112-1’ as male parent. ‘F 47-1’ isnot commercially available and has not been patented. ‘E112-1’ is notcommercially available and has not been patented.

As a result of this cross the present cultivar was selected in September2000 in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been repeatedly asexuallyreproduced by cuttings in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, in Gilroy, Calif., andin Angers, France over a period of several years. The distinctivecharacteristics of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 7 to 9weeks to produce a finished plant, starting from a rooted plug andplanted in a 12 cm pot, depending on the temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Ingmage.’ These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Ingmage’ as a new and distinct New GuineaImpatiens cultivar:

-   -   1. Large, rounded, red flowers    -   2. Ball shaped growth habit with flowers on top of the foilage    -   3. Dark green foliage    -   4. Excellent basal branching character    -   5. Good outdoor vigor

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plantsof the female parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have large red flowers and dark greenfoliage, whereas the plants of the female parent have light purpleflowers and green foliage.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plantsof the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have red flowers with dark greenfoliage, whereas the plants of the male parent have purple flowers anddark foliage.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens can be compared to plants of‘Fisimp 551,’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,702. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new New GuineaImpatiens differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Fisimp 551’ in thefollowing characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have flat, red        flowers, whereas the plants of the cultivar ‘Fisimp 551’ have        slightly cup shaped, red purple colored flowers.    -   2. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have a ball shaped        growth habit, whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Fisimp 551’ have a        bushy shaped growth habit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

This new New Guinea Impatiens plant is illustrated by the accompanyingphotographic drawing which shows blooms, buds and foliage of the plantin full color, the color showing being as true as can be reasonablyobtained by conventional photographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctivecharacteristics of this new New Guinea Impatiens. The data which definesthese characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carriedout in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The plant history was taken on 30 weekold plants, blossomed under natural light in the field.

Color readings were taken in the laboratory under ambient light. Colorreferences are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The RoyalHorticultural Society of London.

-   The plant:    -   -   Classification.—Botanical: Impatiens hawkeri.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary impatiens hawkeri selection            identified as code number ‘F 47-1,’ not patented.        -   Male parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection            identified as Code number ‘E112-1,’ not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 7-14 days.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 days.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and white in color.-   Plant description:    -   -   General appearance.—Outwardly spreading, low rounded and            uniform mounded plant growth.-   Habit:    -   -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching habit, freely            flowering, vigorous.-   Crop time:    -   -   Plant height.—23-26 cm.        -   Plant spread.—43-46 cm.-   Lateral branch description:    -   -   Length.—20 cm.        -   Diameter.—4-5 mm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Internode length.—1.5-8 cm.        -   Color.—RHS 187A.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Arrangement.—Primarily in whorls.        -   Length, mature leaves.—5.5-7 cm.        -   Width, mature leaves.—1.8-2 cm.        -   Shape.—Lanceolate.        -   Apex.—Acute to acuminate.        -   Base.—Acute.        -   Margin.—Serrulate with fine cilation.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Color young foliage, upper surface.—RHS 139A.        -   Color young foliage, lower surface.—RHS N77A.        -   Fully expanded foliage, upper surface.—RHS 139A.        -   Fully expanded foliage, lower surface.—RHS 59A.        -   Venation, upper surface.—RHS 53A.        -   Venation, lower surface.—RHS 59A.        -   Petiole length.—About 1 cm.        -   Petiole diameter.—About 3 mm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Color.—RHS N79.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single.        -   Number of flowers per leaf axil.—2-4.        -   Number of flowers and flower buds per lateral branch.—6.        -   Flower position.—Above and beyond the foliage and typically            facing upwards and outward.        -   Flower shape.—Rounded, mostly flat.        -   Flowers lasting.—About 10 days on the plant depending on            environmental conditions.        -   Petals.—Self cleaning.        -   Gynoecium.—Persistent.        -   Flowers.—Not fragrant.        -   Flowering.—Indeterminate and continuous.        -   Flowering season.—Year round under greenhouse conditions. In            the garden, flowering from spring until fall.        -   Flower length.—About 4.5-6 cm.        -   Flower width.—About 4-6 cm.        -   Flower depth.—About 0.2 cm.-   Flower buds:    -   -   Bud length.—About 1.3 cm.        -   Bud diameter.—About 1.2 cm.        -   Bud shape.—Ovoid.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Color, just before opening.—RHS 53B.-   Petals:    -   -   Quantity.—Single, five per flower, imbricate.        -   Length of banner petal.—About 3-4 cm.        -   Width of banner petal.—About 2-2.5 cm.        -   Length lateral and basal petals.—About 2-3 cm.        -   Width lateral and basal petals.—About 2-3 cm.        -   Lateral and basal petal shape.—Obcordate.        -   Banner petal shape.—Obcordate.        -   Petal apex.—Retuse to emarginate.        -   Petal base.—Attenuate.        -   Petal margin.—Entire.        -   Petal texture.—Smooth, satiny.        -   Petal color.—Upper surface: When opening and fully opened:            RHS 53B. Lower surface: When opening and fully opened: RHS            179A.-   Spur:    -   -   Length.—About 3-4 cm.        -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.        -   Aspect.—Curved.        -   Color.—RHS 46A.-   Peduncles:    -   -   Length.—About 3-4 cm.        -   Strength.—Strong, flexible.        -   Diameter.—0.2 cm.        -   Aspect.—About 45° from the stem.        -   Color.—RHS N34A.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Androecium.—Stamen number: Five fused at anthers, filaments            free, hooded.        -   Anther shape.—Obovate.        -   Anther length.—About 4.5 mm.        -   Anther color.—RHS 45A.        -   Amount of pollen.—Moderate.        -   Pollen color.—RHS 155D.-   Gynoecium:    -   -   Pistil number.—One.        -   Pistil length.—About 5 mm.        -   Stigma shape.—Columnar, five segmented.        -   Stigma color.—Colorless.        -   Style color.—RHS 39C.        -   Ovary arrangement.—Five celled.        -   Ovary color.—RHS N144C.        -   Seed development.—Seed development has not been observed.-   Disease and pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests    common to Impatiens has not been observed.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named‘Ingmage’, as substantially illustrated and described herein.